Implications of BR-174 blockage in the Waimiri-Atroari Indigenous Reserve for biodiversity conservation and community governance

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This project aims to investigate the contribution of the BR-174 blockage by the Waimiri-Atroari (WA) indigenous community in mitigating biodiversity loss in the Amazon Forest. The BR-174, a highway that crosses the Brazilian territory, was built during the dictatorship as a policy to colonize the Amazon Forest and caused the death of almost 3,000 indigenous due to armed conflicts. For over 40 years, the WA community has blocked daily access to the stretch of the BR-174 inside their territory as a resistance measure. However, this blockage represents unknown ecological impacts and significant social conflicts with the government and the private sector. On the ecological side,very few studies were conducted to quantify animal roadkill in the Amazon Forest, while the current context of increasing road expansion and deforestation in the region represents a threat to biodiversity conservation. In thisproject, we will evaluate the impacts of the BR-174 blockage on biodiversity conservation by assessing the number of roadkill inside and outside the reserve and the influence of the barrier effect on the local mammals. From a social perspective, we will also evaluate the motivations for the road closure through interviews with the WA community members and understand how new governance structures are formed and the main drivers of success orfailure. As a result, the project will inform possible policies around road expansion that could minimize the costs for wildlife and people.